Allentown school buses collide, injuring eight students in South Whitehall Twp.

District says one of the drivers involved in crash on Mauch Chunk Road is suspended.

June 05, 2009|The Morning Call

A collision in South Whitehall Township involving two school buses Thursday morning sent eight Allentown School District students to area hospitals.

Township police said both buses were heading north on Mauch Chunk Road while transporting students from Allen High School to Lehigh County Technical Institute.

Allentown district officials said all students on the two buses -- a total of 66 -- have received medical services and counseling as needed, at both schools. Eight students were taken to either Sacred Heart or St. Luke's Hospitals in the city for safety checks, district officials said.

The accident happened around 8:20 a.m. in the 3000 block of Mauch Chunk Road near Grumpy's BBQ Roadhouse Restaurant.

An emergency medical technician said a few students complained of neck and back pain. Some students were removed from a bus on a stretcher through a window. Both buses are owned by First Student Transportation Services.

The drivers Joan M. Molnar, 54, and Jaasiel Villas, 22, were not injured. The South Whitehall police news release said Molnar drove into the back of the bus operated by Villas.

According to the school district, the driver of the bus that rear-ended the first bus on Mauch Chunk Road has been placed on suspension until an inquiry is completed.

The damage to the buses was estimated at $9,000, district officials said.